Cause of Desert Hills fire under investigation
Blaze forces mother, daughter out of their home

GREEN VALLEY--A house fire in the Desert Hills area caused a mother and daughter to have to flee their home Saturday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Green Valley Fire District spokesman Chuck Wunder.

The blaze began on the back patio of the home, at the 800 block of West La Calandria, around 12:30 p.m.

Firefighters arrived at the home just as the fire began to spread into the house from the patio, Wunder said, and they were able to stop it before it did too much damage indoors.

"We were on the scene within four minutes and were able to quickly control the fire and keep it from spreading," Wunder said Monday. "But it spread a little bit into the dining area, and the house had some smoke damage."

Wunder estimated that the fire did about $60,000 worth of damage to the home, rendering it uninhabitable for a while until it can be cleaned and investigators can determine if there is any structural damage.

The mother and daughter pair will be staying at a local hotel for the time being, Wunder said. Neither was injured during the incident.

According to a preliminary report by the Pima County Sheriff's Department, one of the women said she had heard an explosion on the back patio, which caused her to look outside and discover the fire.

Wunder said that the explosion, which could have been caused by fire consuming a television set that was on the patio, likely wasn't the cause of the fire but was instead the result of it.

"We are pretty sure the cause of the fire was on the back porch, but the investigation is still pending," Wunder said, adding that investigators may have something more concrete in the next few days.

thull@gvnews.com | 625-5511 x 22